Headwear apparatus with a flexible panel to accommodate the natural expansion and contraction of a wearers head with integrated openings for hair

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure are drawn to adjustable wearable headwear with integrated openings for accommodating one or more styles of hair. Aspects of the present disclosure also relate to adjustable headwear with integrated openings having a flexible member formed from one or more flexible elements (e.g., elastic bands, elastic straps, etc.) for permitting the headwear to adjust (e.g., expand or contract) based on a wearer&#39;s head size and/or hairstyle (e.g., a bun, a ponytail, or similar hairstyle), and for permitting natural contraction or expansion of the wearer&#39;s head. In an embodiment, the flexible elements may be arranged in a “ladder” pattern in a rear, flexible panel of the headwear. In another example of a headwear, the flexible elements may be arranged in a generally “X-shaped” pattern in a rear, flexible panel of the headwear. In such an example, two or more “X-shaped” elastic or flexible elements may be used.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to apparel, more particularly, headwear, such as a baseball cap, hat, beanie or trucker hat, having an adjustable opening with integrated openings for hair designed to accommodate the natural expansion or contraction of a wearer's head. Embodiments taught herein disclose headwear (e.g., caps), more particularly headwear items having a hair opening for passing a bundle of hair therethrough to accommodate individuals with various head dimensions and/or hair dimensions.

BACKGROUND

People with long or lengthy hair (e.g., females with a ponytail) may face difficulty or discomfort when wearing headwear (e.g., baseball caps, trucker hats, or other similar headwear). Baseball caps, and similar headwear, for example, can restrain hair when an individual is wearing the cap when the wearer has their hair gathered in a specific style (e.g., a bun or a ponytail, etc.). Hair is traditionally worn in a bun or a ponytail, for example, when the wearer desires to keep his or her hair away and/or out of the way of the wearer's face. One way in which wearers with long hair have adapted their hair style so that they may wear caps is by putting their hair into a ponytail or bun which is in a position that is vertically low along the back of the head. Although the bundle of hair in such a position allows for the wearer to place the cap on their head in an optimally seated position thereon, the cap may tend to shift against the accumulation of hair and ride up the head so that the wearer frequently feels the need to pull the cap down back into the optimum position.

Male or female athletes, for example, golfers or tennis players, can be found wearing their hairstyles in a bun or pony when playing sports to keep hair away from the face. In some instances, these athletes may also wear headwear, such as a baseball cap, to “hold up” their hair. In some instances, these individuals may prefer to wear their hair in a bun or a ponytail for any outdoor physical activity, such as camping, walking, jogging, or any instance when the individual wearer desires to wear their hair “up” to perform the activity.

Generally, the size of a wearer's head and hair together change over time and expand or contract as a person grows or cuts their hair. In other words, the circumference of one's head (or bottom-shaped section of the headwear) is defined by the mathematical formula C=2πr where C is the circumference of a person's head, π is the constant pi, and r is the radius from the center to the edge of one's head. If a person cuts their hair and adjusts a cap to fit thereon, then the hat will fit or be adjusted to a smaller circumference around the wearer's head. The circumference of one's head with a short haircut would be defined as C_(s)=2πr_(s). where C_(s) is the circumference of a short haircut and r_(s) is the radius of one's head with a short haircut. As time passes between haircuts, the radius of a wearer's head and hair increase since hair grows. As a wearer grow their hair, the wearer's hat may fit tighter or more snug.

Traditional headwear, however, does not accommodate for the excess bundle of hair (e.g., hair tied in a bun or a ponytail) and the expansion and contraction a wearer's head. For example, a traditional fitted baseball cap cannot be worn comfortably or snugly over a person having their hair tied in a ponytail; the cap, therefore, must have an opening to provide for such accommodation or relief. These traditional headwear (e.g., baseball caps, trucker hats, etc.) often lack the physical structure or build to accommodate any openings for above-mentioned hairstyles (e.g., lengthy hair, hair worn in a ponytail, hair worn in a bun, or similar fashion). There are many examples of headwear (e.g., hats and caps) with a hole or other opening therein to accommodate a ponytail. For example, in a traditional baseball hat, a woman may often put her ponytail through the opening above the adjustment straps. However, these headwear do not accommodate any excess bundle(s) of hair when worn by the wearer.

Therefore, it remains desirable to wear adjustable headwear, such as a cap or hat, having one or more adjustable integrated openings for hair to be inserted therethrough. It is also desirable to provide adjustable headwear with integrated openings that can be both adjustable and be able to accommodate lengthy hair in a comfortable manner to overcome the above-identified problems of bundled long hair along the back of the head. It is also desirable to provide adjustable headwear with a flexible panel, with integrated openings, that is designed to accommodate the contraction and expansion of the wearer's head often associated with short and long hair.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wearable, adjustable headwear with integrated openings for accommodating one or more styles of hair. Aspects of the present disclosure also relate to adjustable headwear with integrated openings having one or more flexible elements (e.g., elastic bands, elastic straps, etc.) for permitting the headwear to adjust (e.g., expand or contract) based on a wearer's head size and/or hairstyle (e.g., a bun, a ponytail, or similar hairstyle).

In an exemplary embodiment, an adjustable wearable headwear having an expandable/contractable rear panel is described. In said embodiment, the rear panel may include one or more flexible elements (e.g., elastic bands, elastic straps, or similar) to permit a back or rear section of the adjustable wearable headwear to expand or contract based on a user's head size and/or hairstyle (e.g., a bun, a ponytail, or similar hairstyle).

In an exemplary embodiment, the flexible elements (e.g., elastic bands, elastic straps, or similar) may be arranged in a “ladder” pattern. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the flexible elements may be arranged in a “crisscrossed” or “X-shaped” pattern.

In an exemplary embodiment, an adjustable headwear having a flexible panel designed to accommodate the natural expansion and contraction of a wearer's head, and the flexible members are deliberately spaced apart to form openings according to the elasticity of the flexible members.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such as a process, method, article, or apparatus. The term “exemplary” is used in the sense of “example,” rather than “ideal.” As used herein, the term “long” will refer to a component having one dimension that is larger than the other dimensions and encompasses long, tall, wide, etc.

It may be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary aspects of the present disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary adjustable wearable headwear having a flexible or expandable section with flexible elements arranged in a “ladder” pattern;

FIG. 2 is front view of the headwear shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a back or rear view of the headwear shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a first side view of the headwear shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a second side view, opposite the first side view, of the headwear shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the headwear shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the headwear shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an exemplary adjustable wearable headwear having a flexible or expandable section with flexible elements arranged in a “X-shape” pattern.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is drawn to, among other things, a headwear apparatus with a flexible panel containing flexible elements that form integrated openings for hair. Specifically, embodiments of the disclosure may be drawn to an adjustable headwear having an integrated opening in a rear panel of the headwear using one or more flexible elements (e.g., elastic bands, elastic straps, fabric or similar materials). According to an exemplary embodiment, the one or more flexible elements (e.g., elastic bands, elastic straps, or similar) may be arranged in a “ladder” pattern, as shown in FIG. 1. In another exemplary embodiment, the one or more flexible elements (e.g., elastic bands, elastic straps, or similar) may be arranged in a “X-shaped” pattern, as shown in FIG. 8.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may refer to headwear. It can be appreciated that any headwear having an adjustment mechanism, such as a baseball cap with an adjustable band or strap to accommodate various head sizes, can be utilized by the embodiments described herein. Embodiments described throughout the present disclosure may refer to a flexible panel that may be located in a rear or back part of a headwear (e.g., baseball cap or trucker hat). This flexible panel may be referred to as a panel that may include one or more flexible elements to permit the panel, and, ultimately, the headwear, to expand or contract based upon how much hair is present when a wearer adorns or wears the headwear. It should be noted that a flexible panel may also be made from non-flexible hat material by removed strips of the hat material forming an alternating ladder design of hat material so that spaces or openings are formed by the removal of hat material. The openings formed by the absence of non-flexible material may allow for the flexible panel to flex by a sufficient amount to accommodate the natural expansion and contraction of a wearer's head. For example, a user or wearer with a ponytail may cause the flexible panel, as taught throughout this disclosure, to expand to accommodate the excess bundle of hair.

As described earlier in this disclosure, there are many examples of headwear available for commercial purchase by a user; this headwear may exist as hats and caps with a hole therein to accommodate a ponytail. In some instances, the headwear is a classic baseball hat. When wearing a classic baseball hat, women may often put their ponytail through an opening above the adjustment straps (e.g., snapback section of a baseball cap or belt-and-buckle closure, or similar) of the classic baseball hat. In classic baseball caps, there is one opening for hair which is same opening located above the adjustment straps. With the classic baseball cap, the opening formed above the adjustment strap typically is a large opening which does not provide a snug fit to the area of a wearer's head that is flush with the opening. In hats that have two openings, one for hair and a separate opening for the adjustment strap, there is a separation between the two openings. This separation creates a section that impedes or constrains the wearer's head and makes wearing the classic baseball cap uncomfortable, tight, or a combination of both. In some instances when hair grows to a longer length, this may cause the user to experience discomfort, and even headaches as the hat fits tighter. In such headwear, such as the cap with two openings described above, the headwear includes two openings (e.g., a hair opening and an adjustment opening) that are not stable since there is not enough material to provide support to the back sphere (e.g., rear part) of the hat or headwear. In such cases, material between the two openings can pinch when hat or headwear is adjusted tighter. This material between the two openings may also be uncomfortable to a wearer when the hat is too tight (i.e., when a wearer needs a haircut). Embodiments of the present disclosure provide advantages over the classic headwear described above. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure disclose and illustrate plural headwear apparatuses with an adjustable opening with integrated openings for hair. Specifically, these embodiments may include an integrated opening in a rear, “flexible” panel of the headwear using one or more flexible elements (e.g., elastic bands, elastic straps, or similar).

For purposes of this disclosure, the one or more “flexible members” may be referred to as “elastic members”. In an exemplary embodiment, a “flexible” panel incorporating these elastic members may provide a wearer a “snug” feel (e.g., a hat that may conform to contours of the back of head). The flexible elements, or elastic members, may be designed or formed from a material(s) such that the flexible elements are not abrasive to hair. For example, in classic baseball caps, a plastic adjuster means can rub against or cut hair. The flexible elements of the rear, flexible panel taught herein would not cause such abrasion or damage to hair when the headwear is worn by the user.

With reference now to FIGS. 1-7, which correspond to a first exemplary embodiment, an exemplary adjustable wearable headwear (e.g., cap) 10 having a flexible panel having flexible members forming integrated, adjustable openings having integrated openings for hair to extend therethrough is described and depicted. The headwear may refer to a baseball cap or a trucker hat (i.e., having mesh panels) or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the headwear 10 may include a front portion or a brim 12 and a rear portion or head section 14. It can be appreciated that headwear 10 may be formed, generally, from any typical materials used to create a baseball hat, a trucker hat, or similar hats or caps. The head section 14 may be comprise of a plurality of panels 16 that extend circumferentially around the entirety of the head section 14 of the headwear 10. In some embodiments, when the headwear 10 is a specific style of hat, such as a trucker hat, one or more of the panels 16 may be formed from a “mesh”-like material. In an exemplary embodiment, the top sections or portions of corresponding panels may be arranged such that they meet at a point or button 17 of the headwear 10. The button 17 may be used as an encasing to ensure the panels are connected. The bottom of panels 16 may come together to form a bottom ring-shaped section, which is then may be seated or worn over a head of user or wearer of the headwear 10.

In FIG. 1, the headwear 10 may include a flexible panel 18. This flexible panel 18 be referred to as a rear panel, an expandable panel, or contractable panel throughout this disclosure. In one embodiment, the flexible panel 18 may be disposed such that the middle of the flexible panel 18 is aligned with the exact middle of the headwear 10 if the headwear 10 were to be split in two halves along an axis (e.g., an axis extending from the brim to the back of the headwear). In an exemplary embodiment, the flexible panel 18 comprises the adjustable opening with integrated openings for hair to be extended therethrough, and according to aspects of the present disclosure. The flexible panel 18, as shown, may be formed with one or more flexible elements or elastic members to permit the flexible panel to expand or contract, as taught herein.

FIG. 2 depicts a front view of the headwear 10 with the lower section of the flexible panel 18 shown from the inside of the hat. The headwear 10 may include an adjustable strap 20. This adjustable strap 20 may be formed from a traditional snap back such as in a baseball cap, may be formed from a hook-and-loop fastener arrangement, may be formed from a buckle-and-strap arrangement, or any similar feature to permit a wearable cap or hat to be adjusted based on the user's head size. The adjustable strap 20 may include a first strap 20 that may be secured or otherwise removably attachable to a second strap 21 (e.g., a snapback section of a baseball cap having a first strap with snaps and a second strap with holes to receive the snaps to create an adjustable section for the cap to accommodate different head sizes).

The panels 16 may be formed from different material, natural fabric and/or synthetic textile. Headwear 10 may, instead of a brim 12, include a rim or a visor in alternative embodiments. In further exemplary embodiments, the adjustable strap 20 may comprise a band and clasp, pins and matching holes or Velcro and may be located in a bottom portion of the headwear 10 and between the bottom portion and the top of the headwear 10. In an embodiment, to provide a higher degree of protection, the top part of the headwear 10 may be formed from or made out of a hard material.

With reference now to FIG. 3, the flexible panel 18 having a “ladder” design is best shown. Flexible panel 18, as taught herein, may refer to an entire flexible, expandable and/or contractable panel of the headwear 10 to such that the entire flexible panel 18 may be referred to as one adjustable opening when utilized jointly with the flexible members, openings and adjustment strap 20. The flexible panel 18 is formed with a plurality of flexible elements or elastic members 30, 32, and 34. Elastic members 30, 32, and 34, extend horizontally across the adjustable opening of the flexible panel 18 and the width of each elastic member is denoted as W_(EM). The adjustable opening may refer to a series of openings 22, 24, 26, and 28 disposed in an interleaving pattern shown in FIG. 3 with each opening having a width denoted as W_(O). In an exemplary embodiment, elastic members 30, 32, and 34 may be arranged across the flexible panel 18 such that each elastic member 30, 32, and 34 is parallel to the adjustable strap 20 of flexible panel 18. Elastic members 30, 32, and 34 may be stitched at their ends to adjacent corresponding panels 16. Elastic members 30, 32, and 34 may be formed from a material that is a stretch or non-stretch fabric. A stretch fabric may refer to a cloth with the ability to stretch. The elastic members 30, 32, and 34 may be formed entirely or partially of elastic fibers such as lycra, elastane, spandex (i.e. different names of the same synthetic fiber). In an exemplary embodiment, when a wearer adorns or wears the headwear 10, as shown, the wearer's bundled hair, such as a ponytail, may be inserted through any one of the openings 24, 26, or 28. This choice of opening may be used to provide maximum comfort to the wearer. In this exemplary embodiment, the width of the elastic member is equal to the width of the opening (i.e., W_(EM)=W_(O)). Depending on the choice of the material for the elastic member, the width of the opening, W_(O), may be greater than or equal to the width of the elastic member, W_(EM). In other words, the spacing of the elastic members may be adjusted to enlarge the openings formed thereby so that the flexible panel 18 can expand and contract to accommodate changes in wearer's head without adjusting the adjustment strap 20. If the coefficient of elasticity is greater, then the width of the opening may be increased while still maintaining the properties of expansion and contraction to accommodate changes to the wearer's head and maintaining the structural support of the hat 10. For most elastic materials used as flexible members in headwear, the optimal width of the opening is from one to one and one half the width of the elastic member (i.e., W_(O)=W_(EM) to 1.5W_(EM)).

In an exemplary embodiment, the flexible panel 18 meets at a point towards a top section of the panel. For purposes of this disclosure, “top” refers to the section of the headwear depicting button 17. The flexible panel 18 may be recessed from the top section of the panel and/or the button 17 by a distance or space. This space is shown as element 40 in FIG. 3. It can be appreciated that in alternative embodiments of the headwear 10 depicted in FIGS. 1-7, the distance or space 40 may be smaller or larger to provide additional comfort to user's having head dimensions and/or hair style dimensions of varying sizes. In an alternative exemplary embodiment of the headwear 10, the distance or space 40 may be zero such that the flexible panel 18 also terminates at a top of the hat or button 17. In such an embodiment, all panels 16 of the headwear 10, together with flexible panel 18, terminate at the top of the headwear. This alternative embodiment may be utilized to achieve greater flexibility of the flexible panel 18 to provide additional or optimal comfort to the user when wearing the headwear 10.

With continued reference to FIG. 3, the elastic members 30, 32, and 34 of the embodiment depicted by FIGS. 1-7, may be arranged or positioned in a “ladder”-like pattern in a variety of ways. In an exemplary embodiment, the spacing between the elastic members 30, 32, and 34 may be different or vary. For example, elastic member 30 may be spaced away from elastic member 32 by a distance that is greater or less than a spaced distance of elastic member 32 and elastic member 34 depending on the elasticity of the material of the elastic member and the number of elastic members. In other exemplary embodiments, elastic members 30, 32, and 34 may be spaced apart from each other equidistantly. As taught in the present disclosure, a flexible panel may be formed from non-flexible material when the non-flexible material is used as the flexible members, which may be spaced apart to form openings therebetween. The flexible members formed of non-flexible material, together with the openings, may expand and contract by a threshold amount to accommodate the natural expansion and contraction of a wearer's head. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the elastic members 30, 32, and 34 may be angled relative to the adjustable strap 20. For example, one or more of the elastic members 30, 32, and 34 may be positioned at an angle of 45-60 degrees. The angled positioned or varied spacing, as taught above, of the one or more of these members 30, 32, and 34 may be used to achieve additional comfort to the wear and/or provide optimal opening sizes for hair to be pulled therethrough (e.g., larger ponytails).

FIGS. 4 and 5 depict both side views of the headwear 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the brim 12 is curved. It can be appreciated that the brim 12 may also be formed flat or some other shape.

FIGS. 6 and 7 depict top and bottoms views of the headwear 10, respectively. FIG. 7 depicts the adjustable strap 20 from a perspective view.

With reference now to FIGS. 8-14, which correspond to a second exemplary embodiment, an exemplary adjustable wearable headwear (e.g., cap) 50 having an integrated, adjustable opening having integrated openings for hair to extend therethrough is described and depicted. For purposes of brevity, the same elements described and depicted in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7 of headwear 10 will not be repeated. Headwear 50 of FIG. 8 includes a flexible panel 52. Flexible panel 52 of a second embodiment of the headwear is now depicted and described. Flexible panel 52, as shown in FIG. 8, depicts an alternative embodiment such that the flexible elements or elastic members, as taught herein, are arranged in a generally “X-shaped” or “crisscrossed” pattern. In one embodiment, the flexible panel 52 may be disposed such that the middle of the flexible panel 52 is aligned with the exact middle of the headwear 50 if the headwear 50 were to be split in two halves along an axis (e.g., an axis extending from the brim to the back of the headwear 50).

While principles of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, embodiments, and substitution of equivalents all fall within the scope of the embodiments described herein. Accordingly, the inventions described herein are not to be considered as limited by the foregoing description. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A headwear item for the natural expansion and contraction of a wearer's head comprising: a brim portion; a cap portion formed as a generally semi-spherical body having an apex at a top of the cap portion and an annular periphery at a bottom of the cap portion that defines a head opening for receiving the head of the wearer within the cap portion, wherein the cap portion is formed from a plurality of panels, and wherein one of the panels is flexible; and a flexible panel, wherein the flexible panel comprises a plurality of elastic members disposed horizontally forming integrated hair openings to permit the expansion and contraction of the headwear and for passing a bundle of hair of the wearer therethrough, wherein each elastic member is configured to divide the hair opening into separate hair location sections.
 2. The headwear of claim 1, wherein the openings formed between the elastic members are usable for locating the bundle of hair at different positions on the head of the wearer.
 3. The headwear of claim 1, wherein the width of the elastic member is less than or equal to the width of the openings formed between the elastic members.
 4. The headwear of claim 1, wherein the width of the openings in the flexible panel is less than or equal to 1.5 times the width of the elastic member.
 5. The headwear of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the width of the elastic member to the width of the openings increase in proportion to the coefficient of elasticity of the elastic members.
 6. The headwear of claim 1, wherein an adjustment strap is located at the base of the flexible panel.
 7. A headwear item for the natural expansion and contraction of a wearer's head comprising: a brim portion; a cap portion formed as a generally semi-spherical body having an apex at a top of the cap portion and an annular periphery at a bottom of the cap portion that defines a head opening for receiving the head of the wearer within the cap portion, wherein the cap portion is formed from a plurality of panels, and wherein one of the panels is flexible; and a flexible panel, wherein the flexible panel comprises a plurality of elastic members, wherein each elastic member is formed from crisscrossed elastic members along an integrated hair opening for passing a bundle of hair of the wearer therethrough, wherein each elastic member is configured to divide the hair opening into separate hair location sections.
 8. The headwear of claim 7, wherein an angle formed by the elastic members is less than 90 degrees.
 9. The headwear of claim 7, wherein an angle formed by the elastic members is greater than 30 degrees but less than or equal to 60 degrees.
 10. The headwear of claim 7, wherein the width of the elastic member is less than or equal to the width of the openings formed between the elastic members.
 11. The headwear of claim 7, wherein the width of the openings in the flexible panel is less than or equal to 1.5 times the width of the elastic member.
 12. The headwear of claim 7, wherein the ratio of the width of the elastic member to the width of the openings increase in proportion to the coefficient of elasticity of the elastic members.
 13. The headwear of claim 7, wherein an adjustment strap is located at the base of the flexible panel. 